Uniting the world’s finest sneaker stores, the Consortium 3WAY project from adidas celebrates the brands 60 year anniversary with a brand-new approach to the collaborative process.

By bringing together a handpicked crop of 12 global retail figureheads, all given full freedom to do whatever they want with 5 iconic 3-Striped silhouettes as 3 unique groups, adidas have entrusted their valued Consortium partners to share their unique vision collectively, using a ‘Work Amongst Yourselves’ brief.

Representing for Toronto, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, London, Stockholm, Shanghai and Tokyo, this collection’s scope is truly global. Patta, Alife, Limited Editions and Sneakers’n’stuff make up the first group, Goodfoot, Undefeated, DQM and Huf make up the second, with the trio completed by the formation of ACU, D-Mop, Crooked Tongues and VA.

The first wave of 3Way Consortium releases from adidas Originals unites three of Europe’s leading sneaker boutiques – Patta, Sneakersnstuff and LimitEditions, representing Amsterdam, Stockholm and Barcelona respectively, with New York’s A.R.C. Opting to rework a shoe each in their own unique style, all four join forces for a fifth shoe that reflects the best of all involved. An eclectic collection, somehow it proves totally cohesive as a whole, reflecting the individual visions of all concerned.

No strangers to the collaborative process, Patta’s Forum Mid is unique in that it’s designed with the ladies in mind. That’s not where the offbeat touches end. This redesign of the 1984 classic expands on the legacy of the silhouette for a feminine touch without resorting to the obvious. Colour palette inspiration came from an illustrator friend of the crw who shares office space – pink is just one addition, with navy, teal and white at work too, making this a product of Patta’s working environment.
Textures like suede, mesh and patent leather make for a break from the norm too, but the transparent panel on the instep, offering an innovative window beyond the 3-Stripes finished with a light blue top eyelet and tone-on-tone heel embroidery as the finishing touch.

LimitEditions Nizza Hi

First introduced in the 1970s, the Nizza is the epitome of vulcanized simplicity – a staple style thoffers a challenge for anyone looking to rework it. The LimitEditions variation takes the shoe and reworks it in line with its original intent, building on the Nizza’s subculture-hopping versatility in a grey canvas with coordinating toe bumper. Subtly removing and ading details makes all the difference – the lack of foxing stripe bordering the midsole amplifies the base of the shoe, while the matching purple heel tab, lining and branded footbed correlates with the teal top eyelet and branding on the reverse of the tongue for deceptive but effective detail.

A.R.C. Stan Smith 80s

A.R.C. have been selling sneaker staples like the Stan Smith 80s since day one – their admiration for the clean, classic and functional lines of this bestseller is evident, sitting in line with their own store aesthetic. Treating this signature icon as the forefather of contemporary sneaker culture, after this model has been treated with just about every application going during its lengthy lifespan, the New York retail innovators have taken it back-to-basics.

Embellishing tradition with an off-white all-canvas upper, tiny trademark details like the ‘3-Stripes’ of perforation have been retained in a new way – as strips of embroidered dots in lieu of holes, and completed with tongue branding, this is an incredibly tasteful, timeless reworking that should retain the same cross-cultural unisex appeal the Stan Smith has always retained.

Sneakersnstuff Samba

To say Sneakersnstuff were having a ‘purple period’ when they sat down to rework the Samba would be an understatement. The training shoe model that’s amassed a devout following from terraces to skte to the everyman just seems to gather momentum decade-by-decade, and with the Nordic team’s decision to alter materials to incorporate a rubberized fabric and heavy amounts of mesh on the upper, means the shape is
uniquely bolstered.

The colourway, added to this forked-toe favourite makes it even more versatile, with accompanying patterned laces offering a whole-new appearance, while the handwritten tongue lettering and gold embroidered ‘SAMBA’ cut through the monotone perfectly without intruding on the intentionally stark redesign.

Patta, Sneakersnstuff, LimitEditions & A.R.C. Superstar 80s

All four Consortium partners converged on the Superstar 80s – one of the definitive adidas designs. Having taken a weekend to discuss their projects and this final addition to the debut wave, exist relationships were reinforced and new friendships were forged. Nearly every colour in the spectrum was optioned, but you can always bet on black as a successful choice. By sitting a tone-on-tone black upper, down to the shell, on a pristine white midsole, this is the Superstar at its very best.

The suede 3-Stripes and heeltab are effective, while the use of ultra-tough CORDURA® fabric down to the tongue increases durability and minimises the scope for scuffs and abrasions while remaining surprisingly lightweight. Black-on-black print logos spread across the left and right heels, ‘REPS’ using an amalgamation of the distinctive store logo types on the footbed and a collection of five individually branded lace locks, plus a matching drawstring bag, made with the same CORDURA® brand fabric, ups the premium look and feel.